


Engage

by ATLPanther



Category: Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: Case Fic, Engagement, F/F, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 04:32:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16548959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ATLPanther/pseuds/ATLPanther
Summary: Z is finally going to propose to Syd! Too bad it’s not that simple.





	Engage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [voidix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidix/gifts).



> Z used a CD player on S.P.D. in the year 2025, so I assume she’s just a hipster of some sort. Also Doggie Cruger is still leading B Squad because reasons. There are also several sex scenes.

The anniversary of the day they met was drawing ever closer. Z recalled with a small smile how she and Jack had taken on the SPD cadets in a fight, only to find themselves becoming members of the team and defending the Earth. Z had said that she’d wanted to be a part of something greater, something bigger than just the two of them, and she had gotten what she had asked for in more ways than one. Not only did they end up saving the Earth, but she met the woman of her dreams that day. 

It hadn’t exactly been roses and wine from the start, of course. Syd was not thrilled at having to share her room with a girl she didn’t really know, and she took every opportunity to voice her displeasure to anyone who would listen. For Z’s part, she was pleased that she and Jack were no longer squatting or moving from place to place like vagabonds. Syd’s annoyance in the early days was just a bonus. Nothing was better than setting her off on a tirade by intentionally using the wrong hand towels or leaving a slight mess. Syd’s face would turn as pink as her Ranger uniform as she ranted and raved, which Z found both amusing and attractive.

Trolling Syd served a dual purpose. In moments of self-reflection, Z realized that she had developed something of a crush on Syd. Syd was imperious and sweet and beautiful and an amazing Ranger. Teasing her was fun and also a way to connect with her. Z didn’t actually think she had a chance with Syd romantically, but it was a nice thought. 

This state of affairs continued until the incident with Sam. Sam being bullied for having special abilities was something that Z took very personally. Growing up, other kids and even adults had been extremely cruel. She didn’t really have any friends at all until she met Jack and then, later, the SPD crew. While she managed to finish the fight and free Sam from Mora’s influence, it was emotionally exhausting. Everyone else went to grab a pizza together to celebrate their victory, but Z begged off to spend some time alone. 

Z went directly back to the Delta Base, sat on her bed, and proceeded to have a good cry. So many painful memories had been dredged up that day, and she gave herself over to a flood of tears. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been there before she heard a gentle knock and the door slowly slide open. It occurred to her that it had to have been some time because it had been afternoon when she originally came back to base, but now it was dark outside. Syd stepped into the dark room with a plate of pizza, switching on the overhead light. The sudden burst of illumination hurt Z’s eyes, which were red from crying. 

“Hey,” Syd said, quietly. “I thought you might be hungry, so I figured I’d bring you something.” She placed the pizza on the bedside table and then took a seat on the edge of the Z’s bed. 

“Thanks,” Z managed to choke out. 

Syd studied Z’s face for a moment before continuing, “I know that today must have been really tough for you. It can’t have been easy to have had your abilities when you were a kid. A lot of people just don’t understand.” Z marveled at Syd’s candor, saying nothing. It hadn’t dawned on her that Syd would actually be so concerned about her feelings during today’s battle. 

Z’s continued silence actually made Syd lose a bit of her usual confidence. She faltered before adding, “I just want you to know that if you want to talk about anything or need anything, I’m here. I know we don’t always see eye to eye and I know that I can really be thoughtless sometimes, but...I really do care about you.” At this, Syd leaned in to give Z a gentle hug. 

Usually Z would have balked at this. She wasn’t normally one for affectionate displays. Growing up as a street kid had made her hide her vulnerabilities. Yet, despite herself, she melted into Syd’s embrace and returned the hug. Syd’s arms made their way around her waist and she gently rubbed Z’s back. Z buried her face into Syd’s neck and closed her eyes. She wanted to drink in this moment. Syd smelled like her perfume and shampoo. Her body felt so soft in her arms. Something about this felt deliciously right. A small part of her urged her to pull away and end the hug, but a larger part of her willed her arms to stay where they were. Suddenly she felt tears start to well up in her eyes again, but this time she had no idea why she was crying. 

For her part Syd continued to hold Z close and rub her back with one hand and stroke Z’s hair with the other. Z couldn’t remember the last time someone had held her like this or had shown her such gentle concern. 

“Do you wanna get some food in you and get ready for bed? I can still hold you like this if you want.” Syd offered. Z looked up at Syd’s face and into her blue eyes. Syd was actually blushing! Z couldn’t help but smile at this. 

“I think you’re right. I’ll be quick.” Z said. She scarfed down the pizza and they both got ready for bed a few minutes later. Z turned off the lights, and Syd climbed into Z’s bed again and stretched her arms towards Z. Z crawled into bed beside her and lay her head directly on Syd’s chest, enjoying the sensation of Syd encircling her arms around her. She noticed that Syd’s heart was pounding a mile a minute, as was her own. This also still felt like the most natural thing in the world, like some cosmic puzzle had found its missing piece. 

“What if this is the last time I can be this close to her like this?” Z wondered to herself. “Why do I find so much comfort in her? Usually I’m giving her a hard time and being an asshole.” Syd was gently stroking her hair again, allowing her fingertips to lightly graze her face from time to time. The sensation of her touch gave Z chills. 

As enjoyable as this was, Z’s mind was still on overdrive. “Will this change things between us? Will we ever be able to go back to how it was before?” Z didn’t have an easy answer for any of these questions. What she did know was that in that exact moment, she would not have wanted to be anywhere else but there in her bed with Syd. 

“I guess we can sort out what this means tomorrow.” Z decided. With that, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep in Syd’s arms. She hoped against hope that this would be the first time of many. 

The next morning the rays of the sun silently trickled through the window. Z slowly pulled herself out of the fog of sleep. She opened her eyes to look up and find Syd was still there, holding her, snoring softly with her blonde curls cascading around her face. Z studied Syd’s face closely. 

“Syd’s completely relaxed”, Z marveled. It was interesting to see her type A teammate so peaceful. Z was tempted to reach out and touch Syd’s face, but she decided against it. She didn’t want to break the spell and find out that this had all been some wonderful dream. 

At that instant, Syd began to stir awake. She opened her blue eyes to find Z’s dark eyes locked on her face. She regarded Z placidly, saying nothing. They were both barely breathing. It was as if time had briefly stopped. Syd then took a hand and lightly touched Z’s face, tracing her jawline and chin. With a fingertip, Syd gently raised Z’s chin. Z leaned into Syd’s touch. Syd gently cupped Z’s chin, bringing her face closer to her own. Soon they were forehead to forehead, their lips inches apart. The distance between their lips got shorter and shorter. Z instinctively licked her lips, closing her eyes. Syd’s lips were millimeters away. 

Suddenly, the Delta Base alarm went off. An announcement from Commander Cruger blasted over the PA system. There was an emergency, and B Squad was to report to the command center immediately. They both jumped out of bed to hurriedly dress themselves and report to the commander. As much as Z would have loved to have continued being in Syd’s arms, she knew she had to put it out of mind until the task at hand was complete. 

Several hours, a giant monster fight, and many defeated mooks later, the team finally returned to the Delta Base. Z had successfully managed not to let on that anything had happened between her and Syd that morning. Syd, for her part, was her usual efficient self. All the Rangers returned to the command center for the post mission briefing. Commander Cruger told them that the threat to Earth had been thwarted for the time being and dismissed them for the remainder of the evening. They all saluted the commander and left the command center.

Jack and Bridge made for the game room and Sky went to the training center for more target practice, leaving Syd and Z on their own. Z was paralyzed with indecision. She wasn’t sure if she should talk to Syd about what happened or if she should pretend nothing happened or if she should just go somewhere else and leave Syd alone for the evening. Syd, normally jocular and confident, seemed equally pensive. The tension was palpable. 

Z, doing her best to sound casual, said, “Well I’m gonna go to the room and listen to some music. Got a new CD the other day I’ve been meaning to listen to. Catch ya later!” With that she waved and jogged off to their bedroom. 

“That way she has an out”, Z reasoned to herself. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, she can avoid being in the room with me. If she does want to talk about it, she knows I’ll be there.” While this logic was sound, Z’s stomach was still tied up in knots. Part of her hoped Syd would follow her. Part of her hoped that they could both forget what almost happened that morning. 

An acknowledgement of what happened meant that things would change between them, and there was no going back from that. On the other hand, Z wasn’t sure she could forget for as long as she lived how right she felt in Syd’s arms and how natural it had felt to hold her. Her lips had been so tantalizingly close, and she was dying to know how soft they felt and how her kisses tasted. 

“You’ve got yourself into a fine mess this time, Z” She murmured to herself as she entered the room, grabbed her CD player and headphones, and removed her shoes before she flopped onto her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to will her mind to focus on the music, but all she saw in her mind’s eye was Syd. Even her bed sheets smelled like Syd now. 

“I’ve always thought Syd was hot” Z admitted to herself, “but I never figured I had a chance. I didn’t think she was into girls, first of all, and secondly I always assumed she’d end up with some rich guy from a good family. What would she want with a girl like me? I don’t come from the same world as she does.” Z sighed and buried her face in the part of the pillow that smelled the most like Syd. 

She lay like that for an hour. The music continued to play, but Z wasn’t really listening to it. Her mind was still spinning and replaying the moment in which she was about to kiss Syd. Just then, Syd opened the sliding door and stepped into the room. 

“Hey, Z!” She said casually, stepping over to her side of the room to remove her shoes. 

“Uh...hey, Syd.” Z replied, removing her headphones and placing them around her neck. She studied Syd carefully for any sign of distress, but there was none. Syd was smiling at her just like usual, and seeing that smile did help to put Z slightly at ease. Syd stepped closer to Z’s side of the room then, and gingerly sat on the foot of Z’s bed. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Syd quietly asked. 

Z sat up cross legged on the bed and looked into Syd’s blue eyes, putting her CD player and headphones on the bedside table. “Sure. Yeah, that’d be great.” She replied. 

“I’m sorry if I made things weird.” Syd said with a rueful smile. “I didn’t expect for anything like this to happen.”

“Oh, no. There’s no need to apologize, Syd. I...appreciate you being there for me last night. I really needed it.” Z replied earnestly. 

“I’m glad to hear that.” Syd said. “But there’s something else I need you to know.” She hesitated then, her usual confidence gone. Without even thinking, Z reached out to take Syd’s hand in hers. Syd looked down at her hand in Z’s, and then looked into Z’s eyes. They both shifted closer to each other, bridging the physical space between them. Z put her arm around Syd’s shoulders and Syd lay her head on Z’s shoulder. 

“What is it?” Z whispered. 

Syd picked her head up off Z’s shoulder to look into her eyes again. Indecision was written across her face. Z was terrified both by what Syd might say and also by what she might not say. 

“I...really care about you, Z. Even though we’ve argued about things in the beginning, I’ve...always liked you. A lot.” Syd slowly began. 

“Really?” Z replied. She couldn’t believe her ears. “I like you too, Syd.” 

Syd smiled a bit wistfully. “I don’t think you like me the same way I like you. I’m sorry to dump that on you, but I knew I’d regret it forever if I didn’t say something.”

Z smirked slightly, “Well you never asked. I told you, I like you too.” 

“In the same way?” Syd asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

Suddenly feeling on much surer footing than she’d felt in the last 24 hours, Z answered, “I know what I felt last night. Nothing had ever felt more...right. Holding you like that was amazing, Syd.” 

A relieved smile spread on Syd’s face. “I’m so glad you said that. I feel the same way, Z. I loved holding you.” 

Feeling further emboldened Z softly asked “So why don’t we pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted this morning?” They both grinned sheepishly at each other. Z leaned back on the bed and pulled Syd on top of her and into her arms. Syd lay her head on Z’s chest. Z kissed Syd’s forehead and held her more tightly. Syd slid her hands up Z’s hips. 

Syd leaned up to look down at Z. Z took in Syd’s scent. Despite the day’s activities, she could still smell Syd’s perfume. They both stared into each other’s eyes, barely breathing. Syd slowly leaned down to gently kiss Z’s lips. The moment their lips touched, Z felt a pleasurable jolt throughout her body. Her heart skipped a beat. Syd’s lips were so soft and they tasted like her cherry lip gloss.

As they continued to kiss, Z’s head swam. Syd’s scent was intoxicating and kissing her felt wonderful after all the months she’d pondered what it might be like. Z held Syd a bit more tightly, pulling her closer as they kissed. Syd whimpered into Z’s kiss and stroked Z’s cheek. Z reached up to run a hand through Syd’s blond curls. Syd ended the kiss by pulling away from Z and leaning back to look down at her. Both their faces were flushed and they grinned at each other again.

“Wow” Z said. “That was better than I could have imagined.” She reached up to tuck a loose curl behind Syd’s ear. 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Syd replied with a smile. She lay both her hands on the collar of Z’s uniform jacket and began idly fingering the zipper. Looking into Z’s eyes, she slowly pulled the jacket zipper down, revealing Z’s regulation SPD Yellow undershirt. Z leaned up enough to allow Syd to remove her jacket, and then reached up to unzip Syd’s jacket to reveal her Pink undershirt. Syd tossed her jacket away. 

Z pulled Syd into another kiss and began gently untucking Syd’s shirt from her pants. Syd did the same, taking Z’s hands and placing them around her hips. Z was only too happy to oblige this unspoken request, slipping her hands under Syd’s shirt to feel her soft skin. She ran her hands up the small of Syd’s back. Syd moaned and began kissing Z’s neck. Z moaned in pleasure and lightly scratched Syd’s back, causing Syd to moan in turn. 

“Do you always do that when someone kisses your neck?” Syd asked. 

“Yeah, sorry. It’s one of my spots.” Z replied.

Syd grinned before kissing her Z’s neck again, lightly nibbling at it. 

“Fuck,” Z moaned, running her nails down Syd’s back a bit harder than before. Syd moaned before feverishly kissing Z’s lips again. Z made a mental note that Syd might like things a bit rough. That information would definitely come in handy if this ever happened again. 

“Would this happen again?” Z internally wondered as she continued kissing Syd. Right now she felt as if she were flying. Holding and touching Syd was better than she could have ever imagined. Every touch and every kiss felt more enthralling than the last. She decided to put aside any questions of the future and to just enjoy the moment for now. 

Z grasped the bottom of Syd’s shirt and slowly began to lift it, revealing her pink bra. They broke the kiss long enough for Syd’s shirt to be thrown to the side before they began kissing again. Z wrapped her arms around Syd’s waist, marveling at the softness of her skin. 

Syd shifted herself off of Z to lay down beside her, and then pulled Z on top of her. Once Z had comfortably positioned herself, Syd pulled Z’s shirt off to reveal her black bra. They began hungrily kissing again and feeling each other’s skin. 

After a few minutes of this, Z reached down to find the button to Syd’s pants. She fumbled with it unsuccessfully for a bit before she realized that her hands were shaking too much. Syd replaced Z’s hands with her own and unbuttoned her pants for her. She put Z’s hands on the pants zipper and allowed Z to unzip them. 

Doing this was a rush for Z, and she had to break the kiss just to catch her breath. She leaned back and slowly pulled Syd’s pants down, revealing pink panties that matched her bra and her toned legs and thighs. Z rapaciously devoured Syd with her eyes. 

Syd, meanwhile, began to pout. “You’re overdressed!” She teasingly whined before beginning to unbutton and unzip Z’s pants. Z grinned and kissed her protruding, pouting lip before raising herself up enough to allow the pants to be lowered and removed. Z was wearing yellow boy shorts under her uniform. 

Z lay down on her side, turning to face Syd. She placed a hand on Syd’s hip, brushing it with her fingertips. She took another moment to catch her breath, the enormity of what had happened over the last several hours dawning on her. Briefly she wondered if maybe they should stop, but Syd wordlessly dispelled her doubts by kissing Z’s neck again and wrapping her arms around her. She reached up to unhook Z’s bra. 

Z groaned and pulled Syd close. Syd slipped the bra straps off of Z’s shoulders. They pulled apart long enough for the bra to be removed. 

“Now who’s overdressed?” Z asked with a sly grin. 

She took off Syd’s bra next and then pulled her close again. They lay chest to chest, Z could feel Syd’s hard nipples on her own. Z kissed Syd’s neck and earlobe, placing both of her hands on Syd’s breasts. Syd’s nipples were extremely hard. Z gave each nipple a slight twist. Syd groaned and ran her hands up and down Z’s back. 

Z kissed her way down from Syd’s neck to her chest. She gently took Syd’s left nipple into her mouth, suckling it while stroking Syd’s right nipple. Syd groaned again, but more loudly. She held Z’s head to her chest. 

“This feels amazing, Z,” Syd whispered, running her fingers through Z’s dark hair. Z switched her attentions to the other breast, sucking the right nipple and stroking the left. Syd continued moaning. Her moans were intoxicating. Z knew she could listen to them forever. 

Z decided to escalate things further, and began kissing her way down Syd’s torso. She kissed her flat stomach and all the way down to the top of her panties. Z decided to lean up and grasp the top of her panties with her hands while looking into Syd’s eyes. She wanted to be sure that Syd wanted to continue. 

Syd placed her hands reassuringly on top of Z’s, helping her to pull the panties down. She then leaned up to give Z a quick kiss before taking Z’s hand and placing it on her inner thigh. Z gingerly slid her hand up Syd’s thigh, slowly inching towards her pubic mound. 

Z kissed Syd again before rubbing Syd’s outer labia. She could already tell that Syd was turned on judging by the wetness in her pubic hair. She decided to gently part Syd’s vaginal lips with her thumb and to rub her clit. Syd immediately groaned aloud, so Z began kissing Syd again while continuing to rub her clit.

Being inside Syd like this felt exhilarating. She was soaked, and her clit was extremely hard. While rubbing her clit with her thumb, Z slid her index finger inside Syd’s pussy. Syd gasped into Z’s kiss and began grinding against the finger inside her. 

Z was so focused on Syd’s pleasure that she didn’t notice that Syd had plans of her own. Syd managed to slip her fingers into Z’s boy shorts to find her clit. They began to finger each other in earnest. Both of them had been so aroused, that neither of them lasted very long. They came on each other’s fingers at the same time, and then collapsed on the bed together.

The room was silent as they caught their breath, laying side by side. It had been an amazing rush to finally touch each other that way. Z leaned in to kiss Syd again, this time slowly. Syd returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Z again. They held each other like this for a few moments.

Not breaking the kiss, Syd climbed on top of Z again and slowly pulled the boy shorts completely off. She gently spread Z’s legs apart, positioning her pubic mound on top of Z’s. After a few minutes of extremely pleasant grinding for both of them, Z’s eyes which had been closed, popped open when she felt Syd’s clit on hers. Syd began kissing Z’s neck and she began to grind her clit against Z’s a bit more forcefully. Z gasped and moaned and raked her nails down Syd’s back without thinking. Syd continued her attentions on Z’s clit, grinding a bit faster and harder. Z’s moans increased in volume and frequency. 

“Fuck me, Syd,” Z moaned. Syd was only too happy to oblige her, adding her moans to Z’s. Z was holding Syd’s hips, matching the timing of her thrusts. Syd grabbed Z’s wrists then and held them down on either side of Z’s head. Syd bit her bottom lip, trying to focus and not orgasm too quickly. 

Z, meanwhile, was nearing her climax. She was thrusting against Syd faster and faster. They moved together, each coming closer and closer to the edge. The sensation of Syd’s clit on hers, her arms being restrained, the sexy way Syd was biting her lip, it was all too much. Z bucked up against Syd in one big thrust and came. Syd quickly followed, burying her face in Z’s neck as she she orgasmed. She released Z’s arms and found them quickly holding her close. 

The afterglow washed over the both of them. It had been marvelous. Z kissed Syd’s forehead and cheek while Syd snuggled into her arms. The pleasurable fog from the orgasm slowly subsided, and Z’s practical brain kicked into high gear again. 

“What does this mean now?” Z wondered, stroking Syd’s hair and face. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated. For the moment, however, she was exhausted and she could already hear Syd’s steady breathing indicating she had fallen asleep. Tomorrow they could figure things out, but for now she snuggled Syd closer and joined her in sleep. 

From that point on, Z and Syd fell into an unspoken relationship. They were certainly more than friends, but neither of them wanted to put a name on the situation, as though labeling it would cause it to fall apart. They still slept together, still did things that couples would generally do, but did not actually make anything official. 

This state of limbo continued for months. The working relationship between Syd and Z was fine, but overall the tension between their teammates was high. Sky hadn’t gotten over the fact that he was not the Red Ranger. Jack thought Sky was a dick. Bridge tried to play the peacemaker, but was usually overrun by the stronger personalities on the team. 

It all came to a head when Dr. Manx accidentally destroyed the quantum enhancer and went with Z to Piggy for help. It turned out that the new quantum enhancer had a backdoor virus. Piggy’s friends, Thresher and Stench, downloaded the schematics for the new S.W.A.T. Mode technology. Commander Cruger was so annoyed at the situation (and also the constant bickering on the team) that he sent all of them to the planet Zentor to be trained by Sergeant Silverback. 

Upon arriving on Zentor, they immediately were pressed into grueling training by Sergeant Silverback. They ran through some obstacle courses, but clearly were still not working together as a team to overcome them. At one point, Sergeant Silverback threatened to send them back to Earth with a demotion and a recommendation for dismissal from the academy. He also stripped them of their colors and morphers. 

After much literal and figurative blood, sweat, and tears, the Sergeant agreed to give them one more chance to prove themselves worthy of being SPD Rangers. Sky took this as an opportunity to split off on his own, and each of the Rangers followed suit, taking off in their own direction. 

Syd headed west, deep into the recesses of the planet’s jungle. The terrain was navigable, but it was completely desolate other than the birds flying overhead. It gave her a lot of time to think, but her thoughts were immediately interrupted by what sounded like Z shouting for her aid. 

Without even thinking, Syd headed in the direction of Z’s voice. Whatever differences there were between herself and her other teammates, she’d never allow Z to come to harm. She happened upon a clearing where she met up with Jack and Bridge. Z and Sky joined them shortly. The team quickly realized that without actual teamwork and discipline there is no way they’d be able to protect the Earth, let alone survive this trial. 

They exchanged apologies with each other, but this was interrupted by a large explosion. A series of turrets sprang out of the ground and immediately fired a volley of shots at the Rangers. They managed to hide behind some trees, but had to figure out a way to overcome this. 

Thinking quickly, Syd looked over at Z and saw her gold necklace. She used her powers of Molecular Alteration to transform her fist into 24K gold. She used her gold fist to deflect the lasers from the turrets and destroy them all. This then lead to an all out battle against all of the deployed Crybots with the team working together. This met with the Sergeant’s approval, and he eventually allowed them to leave with new S.W.A.T. Mode powers. 

They were immediately deployed to Earth in the new S.W.A.T. Truck. They used the new weapons to free Commander Cruger and Sam, defeat Thresher and Stench, and ultimately at least forestall Gruumm’s attack for the time being. It had been a very eventful day. They returned to base, hanging out together peacefully for the first time in what seemed like forever. It was nice getting along again. They played a few rounds of Lightball, and then everyone retired to their own rooms, including Z and Syd. 

Syd took Z’s arm en route to their room. Z was surprised at this, but welcomed her touch. 

Z lead Syd to her bed. This was their usual spot these days. They sat down together and Syd immediately leaned in to kiss Z. Z returned her kiss, wrapping her arms around Syd. 

Syd backed up slightly to look into Z’s eyes. “There’s something I’ve gotta tell you.” 

“What is it?” Z asked. 

“I did a lot of thinking while we were on Zentor. When we were threatened with demotion and dismissal I wasn’t really sure what I was gonna do. Being a part of SPD has been amazing. It makes me happier than any of my other careers.” 

Z listened to Syd intently, unsure of where Syd was going with this. 

“And then I thought about what that might mean...for us.” Syd continued. 

“Us?” Z asked. 

“Yeah” Syd said, looking down at her hands before turning to look into Z’s eyes again. “You mean a lot to me, Z. If we couldn’t be together like this I don’t know what I’d do.” Sensing her uncertainty, Z took each of Syd’s hands in hers. 

“I thought I’d lost you today, and that scared me. A lot.” Syd continued. “And it helped me realize some things.” Z still wasn’t entirely sure where this was going, but her heart began to take little hopeful leaps. She gently squeezed Syd’s hands for reassurance. 

“What did you realize?” Z softly asked. 

Syd took a deep breath before answering, but the words tumbled out. “It helped me to realize that I want to be with you more than anything. I love you, Z. I know that sounds crazy, but I do. I don’t want to be with anyone else.” 

Z kissed Syd again, deeply. She held Syd’s hands in hers and once again found herself in tears in Syd’s presence, but this time for happy reasons. 

“I love you too, Syd,” she whispered. 

With that they retired for the night, holding each other. 

Over the next several months they continued to battle Emperor Gruumm, Morgana, and their various goons. The final stand against Gruumm and Omni took the combined strength of the entire SPD force of cadets, and also unexpected allies like Piggy and Nova Ranger from the future. They’d even managed to reunite Commander Cruger with his wife. 

Jack left SPD after the battle to work in the clothing business with Ally and Piggy. Sam and Nova Ranger returned to the future. Sky was appointed the Red Ranger for the new team with Bridge as Blue. Even with Gruumm gone, a lot of small time villains still remained and wanted to take advantage of his absence. 

While the intergalactic threat was gone, the team remained fairly busy trying to re-establish order in NewTech City. After several months, Sky eventually took a position on the Fire Squad division. Bridge used this as an opportunity to work in the lab with Dr. Manx and Boom. Syd finally got her long-overdue promotion to Red Ranger, with Z in second-in-command as the Blue Ranger on the team. 

There was a crime syndicate in NewTech City that now attempted to occupy the power vacuum left with the absence of Gruumm and Omni. Their ambitions were thankfully not world domination nor the destruction of the planet, but they certainly terrorized local business owners for protection money, tried to steal valuable mineral deposits and technology, and picked fights with the general public. 

At the moment, they had a penchant for jewelry, diamonds in particular. It was decided among the team that it would make the most sense to do a stakeout at the storefront location for the Terranova Mining Company. Syd and Z were familiar with it from the last time they had been there attempting to prevent Gruumm from capturing a sizeable amount of diamonds to use to fuel his machines. 

Syd decided to send Z to the store on her own, while she and the others kept watch in other parts of the city. Z was fine with this. Stakeouts were mostly boring busy work, anyway. It would be nice to get out of the Delta Base for a few hours. Also she didn’t know the first thing about jewelry and it was quickly becoming an interest of hers. 

The question of escalating or formalizing their relationship in a very real and legally binding sense had come up a few times between Syd and Z. It was certainly on the table, but Z already knew some things right out the gate. Firstly, she’d have to propose. Syd would never do that because, lesbian or not, she definitely saw herself as a heroine in a romantic novel. Romantic heroines do not propose. 

Secondly, she knew it would have to be a huge gesture. Syd loved nothing more than a spectacle. She liked being center of attention more than anything. The bigger the crowd, the better for Syd. Z usually shied away from those types of events, but she knew she’d have to really step up to give Syd the proposal she wanted and deserved. 

Finally, at the very least, Syd was very specific. She wanted a size 6 two carat princess cut solitaire diamond with pink and yellow stones in the band. Z appreciated the fact that she wouldn’t have to puzzle out exactly what made one pretty ring different from another pretty ring and try to guess which one Syd would like, but the biggest problem was the budget. The promotion came with a lot of clout and verbal praise and a new uniform, but not a massive pay raise. Z had been quietly putting away as much extra cash and she could, but it was slow going. 

Syd could certainly pay for her own ring outright. She had actually saved a ton of her money from her brief foray into pop music, not to mention that her parents would gladly foot any necessary bills. Still, Z felt that the ring needed to come from her. 

The stakeout would at least give her the chance to figure out how much more she’d need to save and could maybe prevent some sticker shock down the road. With all this in mind, Z headed to the store at 7 in the morning. There was an apartment complex across the street from it, and she was able to use one of the units as an unobtrusive observatory. The store had also been outfitted with several panic buttons, and the staff were instructed to press them if they needed assistance. They were expecting a truck shipment from the mining company at some time between 10AM and 12PM, which would be the perfect time for any attempted robbery. 

Z took up her position and began observing the store. It opened at 9, like usual, and seemed pretty busy with a lot of foot traffic in and out. For a while nothing really stood out as being interesting until she noticed a pattern. The occupants of a white, unmarked van seemed to be scouting the perimeter of the store. It would stop at a nearby location, stay there for about 5 minutes, and then drive away. No one would get in or out of the vehicle. Then it would drive away only to show up again about every 15-20 minutes. 

Z used her binoculars to make note of the license plate and sent the information back to dispatch. Within 5 minutes dispatch returned with a clean background on a man named Joseph Richards. There were no outstanding warrants, not even parking tickets. Z’s suspicions were further aroused. 

“So what the hell is he doing driving around the store like this?” She wondered aloud. She continued to observe the pattern. Until about 10:45AM, when suddenly the white van was joined by two other identical vans. They each took up a position in parking lots that adjoined the intersection near the store. At that instant Z got a message from Syd telling her that the shipment was en route and would be at the store within 10 minutes. 

“Fuck! Looks like there’s already a welcoming party! ” Z said, before firing off a quick message to alert the others and call for backup. She knew she had to act fast before the truck was intercepted by who knew how many would be armed robbers. She quickly abandoned her post and ran down the steps of the apartment complex to get to street level. 

Just as she got out of the building, the men in the vans made their move. The truck containing the diamond shipment had arrived to make its drop off at the storefront. Twelve men left the vans and quickly surrounded the truck. The occupants, two guards in uniforms, were ordered to exit the vehicle and get on the ground. 

Running towards the scene Z shouted “SPD! You’re under arrest!” 

“Forget about it, guys! It’s just one officer. We can take her,” replied one of the assailants. 

With a smirk, Z used her Duplication power. In a flash, there were 5 other Z clones at her side.

“That evens the odds, don’t you think?” She quipped. With that, she quickly moved to attack the two men who were closest to the truck guards. She neutralized one of them with a front kick to the face. The other tried to dodge her blows, but was pummeled by a sidekick from one of the clones. 

“Don’t just stand there! Shoot!” Shouted the same man as before,clearly he was the ringleader He immediately fired his gun, with the other men following suit. Two of the clones set to work on two of the shooters,one used a leg sweep to take out a shooter while the other attacked from behind, twisting his arm behind his back until he dropped the weapon. With a karate chop she knocked him unconscious. 

Seeing his forces depleted by a third, the ringleader decided to try to cut and run. Three of the men decided to just surrender right away after having seen what had happened to their comrades. The other four decided to take their chances at escape and follow the ringleader. At this, Z simply set her Deltamax Striker to stun mode and picked them off one by one. That just left the ringleader who, by this time, had a pretty sizeable lead on her. 

Z gave chase in earnest. He ran through the crowded street, trying to dodge behind various storefronts and food carts. Z continued her pursuit, staying just a bit behind him. As she ran, she weighed her options. There were too many people around, so the Deltamax Striker would be too dangerous to use. Morphing at this point would be overkill, as it seemed that this guy didn’t have any special powers. 

He ducked into a hotel lobby. There was a woman walking behind a stroller with her child. The man snatched the stroller from her grasp and with a mighty heave shoved it towards an open stairwell. Z immediately changed directions to go after the child, managing to grab the stroller just before it teeterd down the steps. The man used this as his opportunity to escape. 

Z quickly returned the stroller to the now hysterical mother before heading outside in the direction she had seen the man running. The trail was cold, it was like the guy hadn’t been there at all. There were no thermal patterns left, so even S.W.A.T. Mode would be unhelpful. With a frustrated sigh she headed back inside the hotel lobby.

Inside, she was happy to see that both mother and child were safe. She walked over to verify that with them before she headed back to the jewelry store. There, she found her SPD teammates, including Syd, re-establishing order. 

Upon seeing her, Syd gave Z a relieved smile. 

“Thank goodness! I was worried when I didn’t see you here. What happened?”

“These guys were after the diamonds. I managed to take most of them out, the ringleader got away” Z replied. At the thought of the escaped perp she clenched her fist. That guy had endangered a lot of people, including innocent bystanders. He had to be brought in, and soon. 

“Do you have a description?” Syd asked. 

“I’m afraid I don’t. I didn’t get a good look at him, unfortunately” Z said with a frown. “The guy escaped me by almost tossing a kid down some stairs.” 

Syd’s blue eyes widened in shock. She was just about to speak when she was interrupted by a man clearing his throat. Both Z and Syd turned to see one of the truck guards. 

Addressing Z he said, “Uh...sorry to interrupt, but...thanks. You probably don’t remember me, but you saved me before at the mine. I think you were wearing a different color then, though.” 

Z smiled, “How can I forget the day my friend decided to disarm a bomb by shooting it with his bike? I was happy to help then, and I’m happy to help now.” 

Sheepishly the guard continued, “I know you guys are probably really busy, but could you stop by tomorrow? The owner wants to see you.” 

Z was about to politely decline when Syd beat her to the punch. “She’ll be there first thing in the morning!” Syd said with a smile. The guard nodded his agreement and turned and waved, leaving Syd and Z on their own. 

“Syd, I really don’t think I should…” Z began. 

“Let’s go home,” Syd began, authoritatively. From the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, Z knew she shouldn’t argue. With the work for the day finished, everyone headed back to the Delta Base to debrief with Commander Cruger before dismissal for the evening. 

Syd and Z headed to their room after dismissal. Z took off her shoes and jacket and flopped face down on the bed. Syd followed suit and sat beside her. 

“What’s on your mind?” Syd softly asked. “Still thinking about the perp?” 

“Yeah”, Z said with a frustrated sigh. “It bugs the hell out of me that I didn’t catch that guy.” 

“You did the right thing. Saving the child was way more important than catching him .” Syd placed a reassuring hand on Z’s shoulder. 

“I know, but...it still bothers me.” Z said, glumly. 

Syd climbed on top of Z’s back and began to gently massage her shoulders. As she gently kneaded them she said “One of the things I love about you is your inner sense of duty. You didn’t catch the guy today, but you might tomorrow or the next day or the next. I believe in you. Besides, maybe there’s surveillance cameras in the area that show the perp.” 

Z smiled and asked, “You really think so?” 

Syd, hearing the smile in Z’s voice, smiled back. “I know it.” She continued working on Z’s shoulders, slowly feeling the tension dissipate. Syd slid her hands up the back of Z’s shirt and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Z turned her face towards Syd and kissed her lips. Syd climbed off of Z’s back to lay down beside her. 

Z studied Syd silently for a moment before gently tugging at the bottom of her SPD shirt before saying “I always thought you were pretty in pink, but red really suits you.” 

“Well you’re stunning in both yellow and blue.” Syd said with a grin, before kissing Z again. 

Z pulled Syd into her arms and buried her face in Syd’s neck. When she held Syd like this, the world and all of its problems just melted away. All she could focus on was holding her and inhaling her scent in that moment. She felt Syd wrap her arms around her and squeezed Syd more tightly to her, kissing her neck. 

Z felt Syd relax into her arms as she continued kissing Syd’s neck and slipped her hands up the sides of her shirt. She marveled at the softness of Syd’s skin as she found her bra. As Z’s hands meandered across Syd’s torso, she felt her hard nipples poking through her bra. Syd began to squirm in pleasure, but she clearly had other ideas about how this encounter would go. 

Syd flipped Z onto her back, then grabbed her collar and kissed her deeply and a bit roughly, shoving her tongue into Z’s mouth. Z sucked on Syd’s tongue, whimpering into her kiss. After a few minutes of this, Syd pulled away to look down at Z, who was flushed and her breathing heavily. Syd removed Z’s pants and panties. 

She then kissed her way down Z’s neck before diving in between her legs. Syd kissed her way up Z’s thighs before plunging her tongue right into Z’s pussy. Z’s legs stiffened in pleasure and she ran her fingers through Syd’s blonde curls as she moaned. Syd’s tongue found her clit and gently licked it, sending electric shocks through Z’s body. 

It didn’t take long for Z to explode in Syd’s mouth. Z tried to catch her breath but Syd continued tonguing her clit. Her clit was so sensitive that it felt like delicious torture. Syd was persistently swirling her tongue around Z’s clit, wrapping her arms around Z’s thighs so that she could probe her more deeply. Z came again, moaning Syd’s name over and over. 

Syd rested her head against Z’s thigh for a few minutes as Z tried to regain her equilibrium. When the world came back into focus, Z pulled Syd into her arms again. She gently kissed her lips. 

“You’re amazing, babe,” Z murmured with a smile. 

“Thanks, beautiful. You’re really amazing yourself,” Syd said, settling into Z’s arms again. 

“I love you, Syd,” Z whispered. 

“I love you too, Z,” Syd replied, squeezing her closely. 

Z made a move to reciprocate, but Syd gently placed her hand over hers. 

“Tonight was about you. Just hold me, ok?” Syd asked. 

Z nodded and obliged. They cuddled and kissed for hours before getting ready for bed and ultimately going to sleep. 

The next morning, Z woke up half an hour before her alarm. It was still dark outside and the Delta Base had not fully come to life yet. The only sound was Syd’s soft snoring beside her. Z turned to look down at Syd’s sleeping face. Watching her there, Z was overwhelmed with how much she loved her. She leaned down to gently kiss Syd’s forehead. Syd gave a sleepy smile before turning over and continuing to snore. Z chuckled inwardly at how horrified Syd would be to know she snored. 

Recounting yesterday’s events, Z had to concede that Syd had the right of it. Going to the crime scene again might yield a clue about the location of the perp, with the added bonus that she might be able to do some ring research. She eased out of bed so as not to disturb Syd and turned off her alarm. She went through her morning routine to get dressed and was ready in about 30 minutes. 

When she was finished, she sat on Syd’s side of the bed and gently shook her awake. 

“Hey, babe, it’s 6:30,” Z whispered, giving Syd a kiss on the cheek. 

“Already? Can I have 5 more minutes?” Syd groused. 

“No, babe. You’re Squad Leader, remember? You have to set an example,” Z gently chided her with a smile. 

“Mornings are stupid,” Syd said, trying to hide under the covers.

Syd not being a morning person was just a fact of life. Z shook her head and went to the desk to brew Syd a cup of coffee. After a few minutes she handed Syd her caffeine. That managed to coax Syd out from under the covers, at least. After taking a few sips Syd felt a bit more human. 

“So what’s the plan for today?” Syd asked. 

“I’m going to the jewelry store like you said. I’m heading there as soon as they open. Maybe they’ll know something,” Z replied. 

Syd nodded, her coffee not quite finished yet. She observed Z silently for a moment. 

“I’m gonna talk to Cruger about next weekend,” Syd said thoughtfully. 

“Next weekend?” Z asked. 

“Well, yeah, it’s our anniversary after all.” Syd said, putting her coffee cup down and starting to gather her clothes for the day. “I’d like it if we could spend it together.” 

“If you can convince him, that would be awesome. It’s gonna be a hard sell. I can already hear him. ‘We can’t be down two Rangers at the same time, especially the Squad Leader and the second-in-command. It would be a breach of protocol,’” Z said in her best Cruger impersonation. 

“You don’t have to be so good at that, you know,” Syd said, making a face. “I’m still gonna try. The worst he can say is no.” Syd turned to go get dressed. 

“Want me to wait to grab breakfast with you?” Z asked. 

“No, you know I can’t rush getting ready,” Syd said with a smirk. Z rolled her eyes, but hurried over to kiss her anyway. 

“I’ll let you know as soon as I find something out about our perp,” Z said. 

“You’d better!” Syd said. “I expect regular updates.” 

“Of course,” Z replied, kissing Syd again. “I’m gonna take off. See you tonight?” 

“See you tonight,” Syd replied. “I love you.” 

“Love you, too.” They shared a quick kiss before separating. 

Z set out for breakfast in the Delta Base cafeteria, and then headed to the vehicle bay to get the Delta Cruiser and drive to the jewelry store. It was nice to feel the wind in her face in the early morning light, and gave her more time to think. 

“Hopefully I can figure out who this guy is and also do some recon on Syd’s ring,” she reasoned to herself. “How much can it cost, anyway?” She parked the Cruiser in the parking lot and jogged over to the store. The door was open, so she stepped right through. 

“Hello, miss! How may I help you?” The bubbly assistant asked.

“My name is Officer Delgado. I was here yesterday for the attempted diamond theft. The owner asked to see me?” Z replied, giving the assistant her SPD business card. 

“I’ll get him right away, officer!” The assistant took the card and headed to the back to find the owner. 

Z took this opportunity to take a peek at the engagement ring display cases. The quantity of options was overwhelming and, despite as mentally prepared as she thought she was, the prices were extremely high. It was three times the cost of what she’d managed to save. Some of these rings cost more than her yearly salary. Her heart sank.

“How can I afford to give Syd the ring she deserves now?” Z asked herself, dismayed. 

Just then the owner appeared from the back office. 

“Looking for something?” He asked with a genial smile. 

“I...er...yes,” Z said, the interruption causing her to be honest.

“For yourself?” He asked. 

“Well, no. I’d like to propose to my girlfriend,” Z replied. 

“Well we have some of the best jewelry in NewTech City! The Terranova Mines provide us with excellent quality conflict-free diamonds! Do you have an idea of what she’d like?” 

Without even thinking, Z recited the exact specifications. “She wants a size 6 two carat princess cut solitaire diamond with pink and yellow stones in the band.” 

The owner was taken aback. “Well you can’t say that your intended isn’t specific about what she likes! But, I forget myself. My name is Chad Jones. I’m the proprietor of this establishment and I’m really glad to meet you Officer Delgado. You were a great help to us the other day, and got both the cargo and the guards safely to us. We’re in your debt.” He extended a hand to her for a shake. 

Z took his hand and while giving it a firm shake said, “It was no trouble at all. I’m always glad to help. And it’s Z, by the way.” 

“Well Z we are extremely thankful. I think we both want to catch the man who seemed to be in charge of this whole thing. I’m afraid we also may need to impose on you and SPD if you could help us,” Chad replied. 

“What do you need?” Z asked. 

Chad took a breath before answering, “Well, we have another shipment of diamonds coming in tomorrow. The guards are understandably shook up about what happened the other day. Could we trouble SPD to spare us an officer to help make sure everything and everyone arrives safely?” 

“I don’t have a problem with that. I’m very anxious to find the man responsible and bring him to justice. I’ll even do you one better and go undercover as a guard. Maybe that will lure our guy out of hiding,” Z offered. 

“That would be great if you could! The guards would feel way better knowing that you’re there.” Chad said with a relieved smile. “Antonia?” He asked, turning to the assistant. 

“Yes, Mr. Jones?” Antonia hopped right to attention. 

“Could you please see to it that Officer Delgado has a guard uniform and the information about tomorrow’s shipment?” Chad asked.

“Already done, sir.” Antonia handed Z a bag containing a guard uniform and a schedule with the pickup location. “I’ve also taken the liberty of giving her the CCTV footage on a USB for that day. Maybe the cameras caught him.” 

“Everyone should be so lucky to have such an assistant,” Chad said with a smile. “Thank you so much, Antonia! And Z, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow under equally happy circumstances. Have a good rest of your day, officer!” With a wave he turned back to go to his office. 

Z waved back at Chad before turning to Antonia. “Thanks for all of this. SPD will be working diligently to resolve this.” 

“I don’t doubt it.” Antonia smiled back. “Have a nice day, Officer Delgado!” 

With that, Z took her leave and headed back to the Delta Cruiser to message Syd about the morning’s events before heading back to the Delta Base. 

“Dr. Manx may be able to analyze the footage to identify our perp.” Z thought to herself as she drove. “We’ll be ready when he strikes again.”

She headed back to the Delta Base and headed straight for Dr. Manx’s lab to drop off the USB. Walking into the lab, she saw Bridge in his upside down thinking pose while Boom was frantically trying to extinguish a fire caused by a new gadget. 

“Some things never change,” Z mused. 

“Hey Z! You looking for Dr. Manx?” Bridge asked before turning himself right side up. 

“Hi Bridge! Yeah, I’ve got some surveillance footage I’d like her to check out for me,” Z replied. 

“She’s with Commander Cruger at the moment, but she should be back soon,” Bridge told her breezily, as Boom scurried about to control the smoke that was now filling the room. 

“Uh...shouldn’t you be helping Boom?” Z asked.

“Oh I am! I was just trying to come up with a solution for the latest SPD tech!” Bridge smiled brightly. “Guess I’d better get back into my thinking pose!” With that, Bridge turned himself upside down. 

“Y’know what? I’ll just...come back later,” Z decided, shaking her head as she left the room. Bridge was a cool guy, but talking to him sometimes gave her a headache. After being in the smoky room, some fresh air sounded like a great idea, so she decided to sit on the steps outside the Delta Base to plan her next move. 

While she was on her way outside, she rounded a corner and immediately spotted Dr. Manx leaving the Command Center. She ran up to her. 

“Hey, Dr. Manx! Do you have a sec?” Z asked. 

“Sure, Z, I have some time.” Dr. Manx replied with a smile. Dr. Manx was always so helpful and patient with the Rangers. She’d been extremely welcoming to Z when she and Jack first joined the team. She was always reliable and clear headed. 

“I’m trying to catch a perp from the diamond heist yesterday. When I went back to the scene of the crime, they gave me surveillance footage. I was hoping you’d be able to help me analyze it and maybe identify the perp.” Z explained. 

“I’d be glad to help. Let’s go to my office and we’ll have a look.” Dr. Manx said, taking the USB from Z and leading the way there. The two women headed back to the lab. At this point the fire had been extinguished, but Bridge was still in his thinking pose. 

Dr. Manx took one look at the situation and said “I’m not even going to ask.” She guided Z into her office and opened a window. Taking the USB, she inserted it into her computer and opened the file. The storefront appeared on the monitor. 

“About what time did the attempted robbery occur?” Dr. Manx asked. 

“It was maybe a quarter to noon.” Z replied. “But there was a white van driving around for hours before that.” 

Dr. Manx shifted the time on the video until 11:30 AM that day. There they saw the armored truck being surrounded by the armed robbers. The ringleader was just off camera, a hood covering his head. It was like he knew exactly where the cameras were because he always managed to never be facing them in full so that one could see his face. Z and Dr. Manx pored over the footage for an hour with no luck. 

“If I had to guess, I’d say this was an inside job. This is someone who knows the location of the cameras and the delivery schedule very well to be able to execute this plan,” Dr. Manx sighed. “I’m afraid you’ll have to hope he strikes again.” 

“Thanks for taking a look at it.” Z said, disappointed that this hadn’t yielded her the information she sought. 

“One good thing about guys like this is that they’re relentless. They always eventually come back,” Dr. Manx encouraged, placing a reassuring hand on Z’s shoulder. Z had to smile. It was nice to have such a supportive teammate. 

“I’ll let you try to prevent further fires in the lab.” Z smirked. 

“Don’t remind me. Here’s a thought, though. Why don’t you check out employment records of people that worked at the store? Somebody could have a grudge.” Dr. Manx said helpfully. 

“That’s a great idea! Thanks, Dr. Manx!” Z took her leave and headed to her desk while Dr. Manx tried to ensure that nothing else exploded in the lab. 

Z turned on the computer and started pouring through the employment records. Nothing seemed very out of the ordinary on first glance until a name appeared: Joseph Richards. Apparently he had worked there for exactly 6 months before his employment was terminated. 

“Could the perp and the owner of the van be the same person?” Z mused. “It could also be a coincidence. That’s a very common name.” Still, it was noteworthy and Z made sure to record it as something to follow up on later with Chad. It would have been nice to be able to just ask the men she’d captured yesterday, but they refused to talk and didn’t divulge any information under interrogation. 

At this point the workday was over, and it was almost time to meet Syd for dinner. Z headed to their room to wait for Syd, as was their usual habit. With Syd not there at the moment, Z took the opportunity to verify exactly how much she’d saved toward the engagement ring on her banking app. 

“$1200. That may pay for a night out for us when I propose, but no way can I get that ring she wants with just this.” Z said aloud with a frustrated sigh. “Maybe I can pick up some overtime shifts and save a bit faster?” 

Just then Syd walked into the room. Z closed the app quickly before giving her a kiss and a hug which Syd returned. This was the best part of the day. 

“Anything interesting on patrol?” Z asked. 

“No, not really.” Syd sat down at the desk. “It was a mostly quiet day, actually. Nothing on our would be diamond thief.”

“I’m gonna go to the diamond mine tomorrow morning. There’s another delivery to the storefront, so maybe that’ll lure him out. The guards are pretty freaked out apparently, so my being there may help.” Z replied. 

“Yeah, I got your text. I think that’s a good idea. But enough about work. What do you want to eat? I’m starving.” Syd said.

Z sat on the bed opposite her. “Uh...I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. What do you want?” 

“I think it’s pizza night in the cafeteria. Or would you rather go out?” Syd thought out loud. “It’d be my treat.”

“I don’t know that I want to go out.” Z said, thoughtfully. “I gotta be up early to get to the mine. I can’t exactly drive the Delta Cruiser there or else our perp will know what’s up.” 

Syd smiled. “Is the rest of our lives gonna be figuring out what to eat for dinner?” 

Z returned her smile. “Yeah, I guess it will. But I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather figure out dinner with.” 

Syd offered Z her hand. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs.”

Z took her outstretched hand and they headed for the cafeteria. “Any luck getting next weekend off?” 

“I didn’t even get a chance to ask. DC was meeting with Dr. Manx all day. I’ll give it another shot tomorrow.” Syd replied. Z nodded and squeezed her hand.

“I’m sure it’ll work out.” She reassured as she kissed Syd’s cheek. 

They went to dinner that night and spent the evening pleasantly. They both went to bed early. The next morning Z woke up early enough to put on the guard uniform and head out to her stakeout location. As a precaution, she stowed her morpher and Deltamax Striker on her person just in case. Before she left, she kissed Syd’s cheek and shook her awake. 

“Why is already day time?” Syd whined before yawning. 

“I gotta go to the mine today, babe. But I’ll let you know how things are going and I’ll see you tonight ok?” 

“Ok, be careful. Love you.” Syd yawned before reluctantly getting out of bed to make her coffee. 

“Love you too.” Z replied and kissed her goodbye. 

Z left and called a cab so as not to obviously identify herself as an officer of SPD upon arriving at the mine. The driver dropped her off there 10 minutes early for her shift. Upon her arrival, a familiar face appeared. 

“Hey! You’re the one from the other day!” The truck guard said. “Wow, the owner said we’d have backup. He didn’t say it’d be you!” 

“Yeah, I’ll be helping out today.” Z said with a smile. “I’m Z, by the way. What’s your name?” 

“Oh! Uh...my name’s Jeff. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, I guess.” He said with a sheepish smile. “And this” he said, gesturing to the other guard from the attempted heist “is Billy. He’ll be working with us today to deliver another shipment.” 

“Nice to meet you both. I want you to treat me like any other guard until we get to the delivery and we’ll see if it lures out the perp.” Z decided. 

They followed her suggestion, and the morning was excruciatingly boring. It took a long time to wait for the actual diamonds to show up from underground. When it arrived, it had to be weighed and signed by three others to independently verify that the all diamonds were accounted for and that there were no losses. Only then could it be put into the crates and then placed on the truck. As time wore on Z was ready to pull her hair out for some action, but none was to be had. The morning had been quiet thus far. 

Finally, at 11 they had loaded the last crate into the truck and it was time to deliver the shipment to the storefront. Z piled into the truck with Billy and Jeff and they made for the store. At first the drive was uneventful. However, out the window, Z noticed the vans she had seen before.

“Guys, we may have company. Let’s just do what they ask for now, and I’ll take care of the rest.” The two guards nodded and slowed the vehicle to a stop at an upcoming stop sign. Z wasn’t shocked when the truck was surrounded again by armed men. 

They were ordered out of the truck and onto the ground face down. Z quickly scanned the faces of the assailants to see if she might recognize the ringleader from before, but no luck. 

Just then she heard a familiar voice. “Alright, guys, we’re gonna take the diamond shipment and no funny stuff.” Clearly the ringleader was present after all. At that, one of the men pointed a gun at one of the guards. Z considered doing a leg sweep to knock the guy down, but she didn’t want to risk injuring innocent bystanders. If she was going to get everyone out of this safely, she needed to plan carefully. 

Meanwhile, the ringleader and two of the other armed men had set upon the truck. They opened it and started to remove the cargo and place it in their own vehicle. Z counted, there were five men total. Clearly the larger force had been depleted by the events of the other day. She was pretty sure she could take them. 

She decided that the first to go needed to be the one pointing the gun at the other guards. He was the most immediate threat. She used her Duplication power and projected an image of her in her SPD uniform running towards the scene of the crime. The gunman immediately removed his focus from the guards and proceeded to attempt to shoot the duplicate. 

The duplicate Z dodged the shots expertly while the real Z snuck up behind the gunman and incapacitated him with her Deltamax Striker set to stun. With him down, Billy and Jeff were able to escape and seek shelter in a business nearby. That allowed Z to go after the ringleader and his two men. 

She spotted two of them picking up another diamond crate. With their hands full, it was easy to stun them with the Deltamax Striker. They dropped the loot as they fell unconscious. A third was in the driver’s seat of the armored truck. She stunned him before he even saw her. Now to find the ringleader. She knew he had to be nearby. 

She decided to head back towards their truck. She spotted him clearing out some space in order to store more of the diamond crates. Before she could hit him with the Deltamax Striker, he saw her and decided to take off running. This time he didn’t have as much of a lead on her and Z was more determined than ever to bring this guy down. 

He ducked into an alley to try to lose her, but Z was in hot pursuit. He tried to knock over trash cans and other nearby debris to block her path, but Z was relentless and stayed with him stride for stride. He casted about for other means of escape, and in doing so lost his footing and fell. Z was able to tackle him to the ground and finally use her SPD morpher’s Judgement Mode. 

“You are accused of attempted burglary, armed robbery, battery and child endangerment. JUDGEMENT!” The Judgement Scanner bounced back and forth between guilt and innocence for a few minutes while the stunned man just watched the pendulums of justice swing back and forth before his eyes. Ultimately he was found guilty, and Z was able to cuff him. A capture card would be overkill considering that he wasn’t an intergalactic threat. 

She searched the suspect for a weapon and came across his wallet. In the wallet was a license under the name of Joseph Richards. The man in the picture bore a striking resemblance to the man before her. She smiled in triumph and began to cuff him. As she was doing so, the Delta Cruiser arrived. Syd was driving it with the other SPD Rangers following behind her on motorcycle. 

“We got here as soon as we could!” Syd jumped out of the car and ran towards Z. “The guards told us you might need some help, but clearly everything is under control.” 

“Yeah, I guess it is. Turns out this guy is the owner of the van from the other day and also used to work at the jewelry store.” Z revealed as she smiled breathlessly. 

“We’ll take care of the cleanup and the paperwork. You take the afternoon off.” Syd ordered. 

“Oh, no, I’m fine I can—“ Z started. 

“That’s an order. We’ll meet you at the Delta Base for the debrief.” Syd told her. Z knew it would be useless to argue, so she saluted and caught a cab back to the Delta Base. Syd and the other Rangers returned after an hour. Syd summoned Z via text to the command center for the debrief.

Z arrived just as Commander Cruger was beginning his debrief, and immediately got into formation. Dr. Manx was also in attendance. Commander Cruger observed the Rangers silently before clasping his arms behind his back and beginning his debrief. 

“This case was resolved with very fine detective work.” He began. “You did a great job, Ms. Delgado.” Z beamed with pride. He continued “Thank you all for your work on this case. We managed to return the diamonds to their rightful owners and there were no civilian casualties. Let’s keep up the good work. Dismissed!” The Rangers all saluted. 

“Oh, before you leave” Commander Cruger stopped them. “I need to speak to you Ms. Drew and Ms. Delgado.” The other Rangers filed out. 

“I’ve been considering your request for the next weekend off,” He began, shooting a look at Dr. Manx. “And, even though it’s against protocol…” Dr. Manx nodded reassuringly at him “It’s been granted.” He grumbled. 

“It took some convincing.” Dr. Manx offered with a smile. 

“Don’t go expecting this to be an every weekend thing. This is just a one time request!” He barked. 

“Of course, Commander!” Syd said brightly, barely containing her excitement. Z was over the moon. A whole weekend off! It had been so long since they’d had one, and it was their anniversary besides!

“One other thing. I need to speak to Ms. Delgado alone for a second.” He said. Syd hurriedly saluted, shooting a quizzical look at Z before leaving the command center. 

Commander Cruger went to his desk and pulled out an envelope. “Like I said, Z, you did some fine work. And apparently some other people agreed. This is for you.” He handed her the envelope. Z opened the envelope, unsure of its contents. Inside was a check for $20,000. 

“What is this?” Z said, unsure she could believe her eyes. 

“The case had a cash award attached. You didn’t know?”Commander Cruger asked. 

“No, I had no idea!” Z exclaimed. 

“Well, this should make your next weekend even more exciting. Dismissed!” Commander Cruger said. 

Z saluted in a fog. Her head swam with the possibilities. Not only did they have the weekend off, but now she could definitely afford the ring for Syd. She knew she would tell her about the check eventually, but she decided to keep it a secret for the time being until she had actually secured the ring. She tucked the envelope into an inner pocket on her coat, then auto piloted to their room where Syd awaited her.

Syd gave her a hug upon her arrival to the room and exclaimed, “I can’t believe we have next weekend off! That’s amazing!” 

Z returned the hug. “Yeah, it’ll be really special to spend time away from work for a bit. I’m excited.”

“So,” Syd continued. “What did Cruger want with you after I left?” 

“Oh, nothing. Just some follow up from the case.” Z said quickly, not wanting to ruin her surprise just yet. Syd seemed satisfied with that answer for the moment. 

“Well, what do you wanna do next weekend? We won’t have to be back here until Monday. Do you want to go to my parent’s lake house?” Syd asked. 

“Actually, why don’t you leave the planning to me for next weekend?” Z countered. 

“Really?” Syd raised her eyebrows, clearly bemused.

“Yeah!” Z said with a confident smile. “It’ll be a weekend you won’t forget.” 

“Oh god is this gonna be like that time we were supposed to go on a date but ended up on a stakeout at Piggy’s?” Syd groaned. 

“Will you ever let me live that down? I said I was sorry. Jack didn’t realize he’d need more help,” Z replied. 

“Tell you what. If next weekend is awesome, I won’t bring it up for at least...two weeks.” Syd extended her hand for a shake. 

“Deal.” Z shook Syd’s hand, then pulled her in for a kiss. The rest of the evening was spent at dinner and then they headed to bed. As she lay next to Syd, Z’s mind was racing. This was the perfect time to propose to Syd, but she clearly had to step up and make this weekend memorable. 

“I guess the first thing I’ll have to do is go to the jewelry store to see if I can actually get the ring in the first place. Without the ring, this weekend will be a bust.” She observed Syd’s sleeping face as she considered further. 

“Maybe I can get a room at the hotel and take us out for a nice dinner?” Z mused. “There is that new Italian place that opened up. She’d probably like that.” Z leaned down to gently kiss Syd’s forehead. Syd gave a sleepy smile and rolled over before starting to snore again. Z took the opportunity to surreptitiously deposit the check via her mobile app. 

“I really can’t believe I’m about to do this. I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone, and I never thought in a million years it would ever be someone like her.” Z marveled. With that thought, she snuggled closer to Syd and fell asleep herself. 

In the morning, she headed immediately to the jewelry store. Antonia was there to greet her at the door.

“Hi again, Officer Delgado! How can I help you today?” Antonia asked, effervescent. 

“I’m here to...place an order, I guess?” Z replied, at a loss. 

“Wait a sec, is this about the ring you were talking about with Mr. Jones the other day? Oh my gosh are you going to pop the question?” Antonia eagerly asked. 

“Yes, it is.” Z replied bashfully. “How does this work?” 

“I hope you won’t think me too forward, but, I took the liberty of starting the design of your ring for you.” Antonia replied. 

“You did what now?” Z asked. 

“You said it was a size 6 two carat princess cut solitaire diamond with pink and yellow stones in the band, correct?” Antonia queried. 

“Yeah, those are the exact specs.” Z answered. 

“Follow me,” Antonia said, gesturing towards a computer on her desk. She turned the monitor so that it was facing Z and showed her a digital ring design. “We’ll have to custom make this, obviously, but we have all the parts.” 

“Wow, that looks great!” Z said, feeling both impressed and overwhelmed. 

“You didn’t specify a band, so I guessed. Is 24K gold alright?” Antonia asked. 

“That’s actually perfect. Syd always says you can’t beat 24K gold.” Z replied with a grin. “She’s really gonna love this.” 

“I’m glad to hear that! We’ll collect the payment from you when the ring arrives, of course. We want to be sure that you’re 100% satisfied with your purchase.” Antonia said with a smile. 

“Great! When should I expect it?” 

“Hm…” Antonia furrowed her brow looking at her computer. “For a job like this it would normally take two weeks.” 

“Oh really?” Z’s heart sank. 

“But I’m gonna escalate this. You have been such a big help to us that the least I can do is get this to you as soon as possible. Is next Thursday alright?” Antonia asked. 

Optimism returned, Z grinned, “Next Thursday would be fantastic! Do I just show up whenever that day and pick it up?” 

“That’s right! We’ll be here.” Antonia confirmed. 

They filled out the rest of the paperwork and finalized the details. Z promised to return next Thursday before the store closed. With that resolved, she next headed to the nearby hotel where she’d chased the elusive perp the other day. It was a few blocks away from the jewelry store. 

When she stepped into the hotel lobby, she walked up to the front desk. As she approached the desk, the woman who was working there looked really familiar to her but she wasn’t quite able to place where she’d seen her before. Nevertheless, she strode right up to the desk. 

“Welcome to NewTech City Suites. My name is Helen. How may I help you?” The concierge asked. 

“Hi...uh...I’d like to make a reservation for next Friday night with a Sunday checkout please? There will be two people.” Z replied, a bit uncertain. 

“Oh, sure, let me check our availability.” Helen replied. She looked down at her computer to check the schedule, and then took a second to look up into Z’s face. “Wait a second...you’re the one from the other day!” 

“What?” Z asked. 

“The other day a guy came in here and tried to throw a stroller down the stairs. You were able to save our guest. We didn’t get a chance to thank you then,” Helen gushed. “I’ll certainly see what we can do to accommodate your dates. Let me see.” 

Z waited patiently as Helen checked her various computer systems. 

After a few minutes, Helen said “It looks like we do have those dates available. If I may ask, what’s the occasion?” 

“Well, I’m gonna propose to my girlfriend over dinner on Saturday I think. It’s our anniversary.” Z said with a bashful smile. 

“Congratulations! We’ll certainly do what we can do make the evening special for you. I’ll just need a credit card to secure the booking and we’ll be all set!” Helen said brightly. “Here’s what I can do as a thank you for saving our guest. We have a spa on site. Do you think your girlfriend would enjoy a complimentary spa day?” 

“Oh wow, that would be incredible. Are you sure?” Z asked. 

“Absolutely! It’s the least we can do, and it’s at my discretion. I’m the general manager here.” Helen explained. 

Z handed over her credit card and Helen began confirming the booking. 

“So, since I’m nosy, have you decided where you’ll be proposing?” Helen leaned in conspiratorially. 

“I actually haven’t.” Z admitted. “I know a new Italian place opened up, but I haven’t been over there to check their availability for reservations or anything.” 

“Oh, that’s no problem at all! We can get a reservation there for you and even call you a cab to get there. Let me do that for you now.” Helen eagerly replied, immediately setting to work to make the arrangements. Z was pleased and relieved that this was already being planned. Z waited for Helen to finish making the calls. 

“Alright Ms. Delgado. We have you confirmed for a Friday evening check-in and I’ll go ahead and put you down for a late checkout on Sunday morning. I’ve also got a spa day reserved for your girlfriend at 10AM on Saturday. We’ll do everything we can to make your stay pleasant!” Helen confirmed, handing Z the check-in details and her card. 

“Thanks a lot for your help and see you Friday!” Z smiled then waved before making her exit. At this point the only major concern Z had was what the hell she was going to wear to dinner that day, but she had a week to plan for that. In the meantime, it was time to do her normal patrol with the other Rangers. That evening, at the end of her relatively uneventful shift, she and Syd went to their bedroom to plan the evening’s activities. 

“You’ll be working the morning shift tomorrow, so let’s just go to the cafeteria tonight,” Syd was saying. 

“Next weekend is gonna be amazing,” Z said dreamily. 

“Yeah, so about that. What exactly are we doing? You know I have to prepare for these things,” Syd asked. 

Z coyly replied, “I told you I’ve got this.” 

“So you’re not gonna tell me anything?” Syd sighed, exasperated. 

“Nope!” Z grinned. 

“Oh c’mon. What if I show up inappropriately attired? What if I’m underdressed? Or overdressed?” Syd needled. 

“Alright, fine. We’re staying off base overnight and I’m taking you out for dinner to a nice place,” Z conceded. 

“A nice place? Isn’t that what you said before we ended up at Piggy’s?” Syd shot back. 

Now it was Z’s turn to sigh in exasperation. Syd kissed Z’s cheek and gave her a hug. Giving Z a hard time was fun. She then took Z’s hand and stood to lead her to the cafeteria. 

“I trust you to plan this, Z. Thanks for telling me what I should wear for one of the nights we’ll be gone and letting me know I should pack. I’m really looking forward to this” Syd reassured, kissing Z’s cheek again.

Z couldn’t stay mad at Syd for long. Z stood up with Syd, and then gently pressed Syd up against the wall and kissed her passionately. Syd was surprised, but welcomed Z’s eager kisses. Z stopped kissing Syd’s lips to kiss her jawline and then further down her neck. Syd’s breath quickened and she let out pleasurable whimpers. Syd pulled Z’s body tightly to hers. Z gently nibbled Syd’s earlobe. Syd moaned and then gently pushed Z away. 

“You know we gotta go to the cafeteria before it closes” Syd reminded her. 

“Ugh...fine.” Z groaned in mock consternation before taking Syd’s hand and going to get dinner. 

They spent the evening at dinner, and then went to bed. It was tradition to trade off who worked the split weekend shifts, and it was Syd and Z’s turn. Z worked the morning shift from 7AM to 3PM and Syd took over from 3PM to 11PM. Z left Syd sleeping, kissing her goodbye before she left. 

Z went to her morning beat. The day was slow at first. That time of morning there wasn’t much traffic or activity. As she walked her normal route, she came across a dress shop. She made a mental note to check it out when her shift was over. In the meantime, traffic citations needed to be given, little old ladies needed help crossing the street, tourists needed directions, and it was a mostly pleasant and boring shift. 

At 3PM Z decided to check out the dress shop she’d found earlier that day. Walking into the store, she was already overwhelmed with the sheer amount of choices. There were dresses of every type, size, color, and fabric she could think of, and probably then some. She knew she’d have to dress up for Saturday, but she hadn’t given much thought to what exactly she’d like to wear or what Syd might like to see her in. 

“Thanks for coming into NewTech Boutique! My name is Wendy. May I help you find something?” The consultant greeted. 

“Yeah I need to buy a dress,” Z said a bit woodenly, still overwhelmed by the choices in front of her. 

“Well you’re in the right place,” Wendy reassured with a bemused smile. “May I have your name before we go any further?” 

“Oh, right. Z. My name is Z,” Z replied awkwardly. 

Wendy smiled. “Ok, let’s try to narrow it down. Is this a dress for a particular event?” 

“I uh...yeah. Sorry.” Z brought her eyes into focus on Wendy’s face. “I’ve just never seen so many dresses in one place in my life.” 

Wendy giggled. “Yeah, we do have the best selection in the city. So what’s the occasion?” 

“I’m gonna be proposing to my girlfriend next Saturday and I’m taking her to dinner at a nice restaurant, so I want to look nice” Z managed. 

“Well we can definitely help you with that. Did you have a specific length or color in mind?” Wendy asked, starting to approach some racks. 

“I think I want to wear yellow that day. And a short dress, but not too short. Maybe just above the knee?” Z answered. 

“I think I can make some suggestions. Sit tight here, and I’ll be right back with a few ideas.” Wendy told her with a reassuring smile, before heading off to select three dresses. She brought them to Z for her perusal. Of the three, there was one that Z dismissed right out of hand. It had ruffled sleeves, which Z hated and thought looked dumb. The other two suggestions were way more promising. There was one in particular she really liked, but she decided to go ahead and try the other dress first. 

Wendy guided Z to the dressing room. The first dress that she tried had a zipper in the back which Wendy had to help her zip up. She stepped out of the dressing room and towards the large mirror in front of her. It was an A-line dress with a halter top. The skirt at the bottom had adorable pleats and it did come just above her knee. Z twisted herself to the side to see her back in the mirror. The dress was backless also. Z silently observed herself. 

“So what’s the verdict, Z?” Wendy asked. 

“I think the dress is very pretty, but it’s a bit plain. This is definitely the type of length I want, though. You were on the right track from the start,” Z replied with a smile. 

Wendy nodded. “We have plenty to choose from and very rarely does someone buy the first dress they try. We can try the other dress as soon as you’re ready.” 

Z took one more look at herself in the mirror before asking Wendy to unzip her and heading back to the dressing room to try on the dress she was pretty sure she’d really like. This dress was different but still elegant. She eagerly slipped it over her head and then headed out to the mirror. 

The dress had a one-shoulder design. There was nothing on her left shoulder, but her right shoulder had a strap. Beading went from the right shoulder strap across the top of the dress in a line. There was another line of beading that extended from the right strap and across her upper torso, with a final line of beading across her waist. The bottom had rushing. It was also a very nice, dusky shade of yellow. She instantly loved this dress. 

“I can tell in your face that you found the one,” Wendy said confidently. 

“I love this dress so much. It’s different but still gorgeous. Syd’s gonna love this.” Z smiled, pleased.. 

“Well let’s get you some accessories to go with it and we’ll be all set!” Wendy said, guiding Z towards a different set of racks for shoes. After much debate and discussion, Z found a pair of ballet flats that matched her dress. She decided not to add any jewelry other than her usual necklace. Wendy brought her up to the front to ring up her purchases. 

As she was scanning her items, Wendy asked, “So why yellow?” 

“I guess you could say she met me in yellow,” Z replied, blushing. “She always likes when I wear it, even though I wear blue now.” 

“That’s adorable.” Wendy sighed, completing the transaction. “I remember when I proposed to my wife. The day I planned to propose I got sick and I basically had to do it in between blowing my nose. Not exactly the romantic day I’d had planned, but she still said yes.” 

Z giggled. “Well it worked out, didn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” Wendy said with a dreamy smile. “She’s really great. I just hope your proposal goes according to plan.” She handed Z her purchases and bid her farewell. 

“We’ll probably be back for wedding dresses at some point!” Z said waving goodbye. 

She headed back to the Delta Base and stashed the garment bag with her dress and the shoe bag into the deepest recesses of her closet. Thankfully with Syd working off hours, it would be easy to do. Now the real waiting game began. Friday seemed even further away than usual. Z was tempted to head back to the jewelry store to check the progress on Syd’s ring, but she knew that would be ridiculous. 

The saying goes that patience is a virtue, but neither Z nor Syd were very patient people. The week seemed to drag on and on. Syd kept trying to hassle her for more information about the weekend’s activities and events, but Z managed to avoid divulging any further information, much to Syd’s annoyance.

Finally Thursday arrived. After work, Z made a beeline for the jewelry store. She walked in to find Chad and Antonia helping other customers. They both waved to her and apologized for her wait. Z looked around at the other display cases while she waited. She was anxious to get this ring and get the show on the road, but tried to contain her excitement. 

After serving the customer in front of her, Antonia finally made her way to Z. 

“Hi, Officer Delgado! Your ring is here. If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll bring it out to you ” Antonia greeted with a smile, before scurrying off to the back. Z’s stomach was in knots. After what felt like an eternity, Antonia arrived with the display case carrying the ring. She placed it on the desk in front of Z and allowed Z to open it. 

Z gingerly opened the box to find a beautiful ring. It was exactly as it appeared on Antonia’s computer mockup. The diamond was in the middle of it surrounded by two smaller topaz and opal stones. The band was 24K gold. Z couldn’t restrain her smile. 

“This is perfect, Antonia. I think Syd will be really pleased. You guys did a great job,” Z grinned. 

“We aim to please! Let’s just take care of the payment and I’ll get you a ring box,” Antonia said with a satisfied smile. They finished the transaction. After handing her the ring box and her receipt, Antonia gushed, “Good luck, Officer Delgado!”

“We’ll definitely be back for wedding bands!” Z told her with a wave before turning to leave. 

She hurriedly headed back to the Delta Base to try to beat Syd to their room. She managed to hide the ring in her safe deposit box just as Syd opened the sliding door. 

“Hey, Z. You in here?” Syd called out. 

“Yeah! Hi, babe!” Z said, pulling Syd into a hug and kiss. 

“What were you doing in the closet just now? You know we’re out, right?” Syd teased with a smirk. 

“I was just looking for something, you dork,” Z replied, kissing Syd again. Syd studied Z’s face. 

“You’re up to something.” Syd’s eyes narrowed. 

“Can’t I just be happy that I’m about to spend the weekend with my pretty girl?” Z asked in mock offense. 

“Of course you can, but I know you’re still up to something,” Syd replied firmly. 

“I guess you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow night after work.” Z teased lightly as she confidently leaned up against the wall and crossed her arms. Syd strode up and kissed Z again. Z put her arms around Syd. 

“Can I use advanced interrogation techniques to find out what we’re doing this weekend?” Syd purred, starting to unzip Z’s SPD Jacket. 

“How about we just fuck and I still keep my surprise up my sleeve?” Z replied, kissing Syd deeply. 

“Deal,” Syd murmured, returning Z’s kiss and pulling her close. Syd unzipped Z’s jacket and took it off her shoulders. Z then turned Syd around so that her back was against the wall. She deftly stripped Syd of her clothes before kneeling in front of her. She gently parted Syd’s legs and began tonguing Syd’s pussy. Z felt Syd’s hands on the back of her head, her fingers running through her hair. She tongued Syd’s clit in approval. 

Syd’s moaning grew louder and more insistent. She started grinding herself against Z’s tongue and face. Z was in bliss. Nothing was better than eating Syd out and making her moan like that. Z swirled her tongue around Syd’s clit and felt Syd grab the back of her head more forcefully. She knew that Syd was close to cumming. 

With a loud groan Syd exploded in Z’s mouth. Z took in every drop and enjoyed basking in Syd’s pleasure. She backed up slightly to look up into Syd’s face. Syd’s eyes were tightly closed at the time, but after a few minutes she caught her breath and opened her eyes to look down at Z and smile. 

“How are you so good at that?” She asked, breathlessly, reaching down to take Z’s hand and help her up. 

“Practice.” Z smirked, standing up and locking lips with Syd. 

Syd wrapped her arms around Z, deepening the kiss. 

“Now it’s my turn,” Syd decided with a mischievous grin. She set to removing Z’s clothes. Z was only too happy to oblige her. Making Syd cum and been a massive turn on. Syd kissed Z’s neck and began running her hands up and down Z’s hips. Syd then took a thumb and pressed it to Z’s clit while slipping two fingers inside her. 

Z instantly bucked her hips up against Syd’s fingers. It struck Z at that moment that no matter how many times they had sex, it always felt like the first time. Syd always knew how to touch her. Syd was gently stroking her clit and kissing her neck while pumping her fingers in and out of Z’s pussy. Syd increased the speed off her fingers to match the timing of Z’s thrusts. 

Z put her arms around Syd and came. Syd enjoyed the sensation of Z’s wet tightness around her fingers. Syd buried her face in Z’s neck and kept her fingers where they were for a few minutes as Z’s breathing started to return to normal. Only then did she slowly pull her fingers out, making sure to taste Z on her fingertips. 

“How are you so good at that?” Z asked. 

“Practice,” Syd mocked with a smirk before kissing Z again. They held each other, continuing to kiss. 

“I’m never gonna get sick of this,” Z whispered into Syd’s kiss. 

“You’d better not.” 

After a few minutes Z felt Syd pull away from her. She looked at Syd quizzically. 

“C’mon, we gotta get cleaned up, grab some food, and I still haven’t packed!” Syd explained brightly. Z couldn’t help but smile back at her. Syd, as usual, was right. They spent the evening preparing for tomorrow’s events and then went to bed a few hours later. 

Even though they were laying down together, Z was restless and anxious. Not only was she facing the prospect of their first weekend off together in quite some time, but it was their anniversary and she was planning to propose. All of the planning was about to become a reality. 

“Just gotta wait 48 hours or so.” Z thought to herself. Still, she couldn’t quite get comfortable, her mind kept racing. 

“Babe, are you ok?” Syd murmured. 

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine,” Z answered. 

Syd sleepily rested her head on Z’s chest and put her arms around her. Z held Syd close to her and kissed her forehead. Syd started to softly snore and that helped Z to relax enough to fall asleep as well. Tomorrow evening was when the fun would begin. 

The next morning Z woke up to her alarm. She was exhausted, but also strangely energized by what was about to happen. 

“Today’s the big day, Babe,” Z reminded, kissing Syd’s forehead. Syd managed a sleepy smile. They both got out of bed and got dressed, then parted to do their patrols, agreeing to meet in their room that evening before heading out. 

Z went to work, but her mind was elsewhere. She went through the motions of her normal routine, but the whole time she was counting down the seconds, minutes, and hours until it was time to meet up with Syd again and really get the weekend started. The day just seemed to drag on forever. It also didn’t help that the day was relatively slow. She almost missed Crybots running around just to have something to do!

Finally, mercifully, the day ended and Z headed back to the Delta Base. She met up with Syd and the rest of the Rangers for their debrief, and after it was completed, she and Syd made a beeline for their room. Z gathered her garment bag with her dress and surreptitiously managed to get the ring out of her safe deposit box and slip it into her duffel bag. 

Z marveled at how she’d managed to do that without Syd noticing, but then she turned around and instantly figured out why. Whereas Z had a duffle bag and her garment bag for the weekend, Syd was obviously not traveling light. She pulled out four suitcases. 

Z stared at her, flummoxed. “What’s all this?” 

“Well, I can’t decide what do wear so I’m bringing multiple options. And that suitcase has the shoes that go with the possibilities, and then these suitcases have my makeup,” Syd explained. 

“Are you serious, Babe?” Z asked, crossing her arms. 

“Of course! Do you think I just wake up looking flawless everyday?” Syd shot back. 

“Yes!” Z said firmly. 

“Well...that is the right answer. But I also have to accessorize!” Syd replied. 

Z sighed and smiled, shaking her head before saying, “Fine, I’ll help you get this outside if you’ll go ahead and call us a cab. I’ll give you the address where we’re going.”

She used her Duplication ability to help carry all of the suitcases outside the Delta Base. When the cab arrived, Z kept all of the duplicates out in order to load all the stuff into the trunk. They piled in and Z gave the driver the address. It was finally happening. Z nervously took Syd’s hand as they arrived in front of NewTech City Suites. Z paid the driver and tipped well. Meanwhile a horde of bellhops showed up to help them remove their luggage from the trunk, but Z waved them off and used her Duplication ability again to move everything into the hotel lobby. 

Z approached the front desk to begin the check-in process. Helen wasn’t there that evening, but the young man working the front desk was just as personable and efficient. They got their room keys and were pointed an elevator and instructed to go to the 15th floor, room 45. Syd, Z, and her army of duplicates did just that. They used the key and found the room with ease and opened the door. 

“Well, I won’t forget the room number. It has the perfect ending.” Syd said, kissing Z’s cheek. 

They stepped inside to find a magnificently appointed room. Syd was absolutely thrilled and wanted to explore it all. It was room with a suite attached to it. There was a living room area with a sofa, coffee table, recliner, and a 50” TV set. There was also a desk with a comfortable swivel chair. They stepped into the bedroom to find a king sized bed, a recliner, and another 50” TV. The bathroom was probably larger than their room at the Delta Base. There was a walk-in shower and a jacuzzi. Z made a mental note to thank Helen later. She’d knocked it out of the park. 

For her part, Z was happy with the size of the TV in the room and the size of the bed. That could be fun later. It was much larger than the bed they shared at the Delta Base at any rate. Z took a seat on the bed to take in Syd’s reaction. She was looking forward to not having the Piggy stakeout incident brought up for a while. 

Syd flopped onto the bed next to Z and sighed. “Thanks, babe. This is amazing.” She kissed Z’s lips and gave her a hug. “I can’t believe you did this!” 

“You’re worth it. Happy early anniversary,” Z , smiled and gave Syd a hug. Out of the corner of her eye, Z saw a small envelope on the bed. “By the way, I think this might be for you.” 

Syd took the envelope. “What is this?” She asked. 

“You’ll have to open it to find out, silly.” Z grinned. 

Syd tore open the envelope to reveal a card which entitled her to a morning at the spa, starting at 10AM the next morning. Syd squealed with delight. 

“Oh my gosh, Babe I can’t believe you did this for me!” Syd said, hugging Z again. “You’re incredibly sweet.” 

“You deserve it. It’s the least I could do for my favorite girl,” Z replied. 

“Well, what do you wanna do tonight?” Syd asked. “It’s already sorta late.” 

“I figured we’d just order room service and watch a movie,” Z answered. 

“That sounds great.” Syd sighed. “I’m so relieved you said that. I’m exhausted from work.” 

They placed the room service order, and then settled down to change into PJs and watch a movie over dinner. Before they went to sleep, Z set an alarm for 9 the next morning. They snuggled together, enjoying the much larger bed than they had at the Delta Base. 

The next morning Syd actually beat Z out of bed in order to get ready for her day at the spa. Z was happy to see Syd so excited, but honestly she was looking forward to sleeping in.

Z managed to call out to Syd before she left, “Have fun! Just don’t forget we have dinner reservations at 6, so we’ll be leaving around 5:30.”

Syd kissed Z goodbye and excitedly headed to the spa. Z went back to sleep until about noon. It was heavenly. Z idly wondered how many duplicates it would take to move the bed back to the Delta Base and if someone would notice. 

Just then, as Z was luxuriously stretching out, the phone rang. Z moved quickly to answer it. 

“Hello?” she asked. 

“Hi, Ms. Delgado. This is Helen at the front desk. I just wanted to double check with you about the room and find out if you needed anything.” Helen replied. 

“Oh, everything is great! Thanks so much for checking on us.” Z answered. 

“I’m glad to hear that. I also wanted to confirm that the cab will be here at 5:30 to get you to dinner by 6. Good luck!” Helen said. Z thanked her again before they hung up the phone. 

Prior to the phone call Z had been pretty relaxed. Now that she was mere hours away from proposing, her stomach started to tie itself up in knots again. It occurred to her just then that she hadn’t planned what it is she’d actually say to Syd when she popped the question. 

“Holy shit! I planned everything else, but the most important part?! Who does that?!” She cried. Frantically she went to the desk and grabbed the notepad and pen. At that moment the blank page in front of her was so intimidating . She wasn’t even totally sure where to begin. She decided to just start to write down what came to her mind at that moment and see if it sounded right to her. 

She started thinking out loud. “Ok, how about this? Syd, I think you’re amazing. I’ve always thought you were amazing from the first day we met—...No, that doesn’t work.” She scratched that out. After a few more minutes of thinking she tried something else. 

“Being with you has been one of the happiest times of my life and I would be thrilled if you’d do me the honor of—that sounds dumb.” Z scratched that out as well. She continued writing and rewriting her proposed proposal, but nothing rang true to her or seemed to convey the depths of her love for Syd. 

“Damn, this is harder than it looks,” she grumbled to herself. 

Z looked at the clock to see it was already half past 2. She didn’t have time to panic about that because she heard the sound of the keycard being placed into the door. Z hurriedly crumbled up the rough drafts and tossed them into the trash just as Syd opened the door. 

“Oh man, that was amazing. Thanks again, babe.” Syd said. She ran over to give Z a hug and a kiss. She then began to describe in intricate detail exactly what types of services the spa offered and how she got a hot rock massage and a mani-pedi and everything could not have gone better for her that morning and early afternoon. 

Z was pleased that Syd was pleased, but her mind was preoccupied with the fact that she had no idea what she would be saying to her in a few short hours. 

“Did you have a good morning?” Syd asked. 

“Yeah! I slept in,” Z replied. Syd looked into Z’s eyes and studied her face. 

“Something on your mind?” Syd asked. 

“Nothing, just hungry I guess. I haven’t had anything to eat yet.” Z stalled, hoping this would distract Syd from asking any further questions. 

“Well c’mon, let’s go to the executive lounge! They have heavy hors d’oeuvres and free drinks,” Syd suggested, taking Z’s hand and leading her there. 

They spent about an hour there before heading back to the room to change. Z knew she’d be able to get dressed in about 30 minutes, but Syd would take forever. Syd headed into the bathroom with the full complement of the contents of her makeup bags. Z fretted in the bedroom, still puzzling over how exactly she’d pop the question. 

Syd stepped out of the bathroom in a robe and curlers. “Something’s bothering you.” She pronounced. 

“Huh? What do you mean? I’m good!” Z replied with a thumbs up. 

“No, you’re pacing. You always pace when something’s on your mind,” Syd stated, crossing her arms across her chest. She sat on the bed and observed Z. “What’s going on?” 

“I guess I’m just excited about tonight. And...wait it’s already 4:15. You gotta hurry up so I can finally get dressed.” Z replied. She saw that she successfully managed to deflect, as Syd scurried off to finish getting ready. 

At 4:45 Syd was finally out of the bathroom, but not completely dressed. They agreed to meet in the lobby at 5:15. Z took the opportunity to hop into the shower and get dressed. Still, her mind was preoccupied with what she might be saying to Syd in a few short hours. 

Doubts started to flood in. “What if she says no? What if I completely freeze? What if she hates the ring?” She fretted as she finished her shower. 

As she was getting dressed and saw her outfit coming together, she felt a bit more confident. 

“Syd will say yes. I’m sure of it. The timing may be a surprise, but we’ve been planning our lives together for a while. I’ll just...tell her how I feel about her and wing it!” She said, hoping that if she spoke it into existence the bravado would actually become real bravery. 

Her final preparations complete, she slipped the ring into her purse and headed downstairs to the lobby where Syd awaited her. Z’s eyes scanned the room, and she finally spotted Syd near the entrance. In a word, Syd looked gorgeous. She was in a sleeveless, backless pink dress that came just above her knee. The skirt on the dress had an adorable flare. She’d matched it with pink heels. Z drank Syd in with her eyes just as Syd turned to see Z’s arrival. They approached each other. 

“You look amazing,” Syd said with awe. “I love it when you wear yellow.” 

“You look beautiful,” Z finally managed to blurt out. “I guess I just...wanted to wear the color I met you in tonight.” 

Syd smiled and kissed Z’s cheek. Then, taking her hand, she said, “Well, c’mon, we have to catch the cab, right? Do I get to know where we’re going yet?” 

“Nope! It’s still a surprise.” Z smiled, squeezing Syd’s hand. They passed by the front desk on the way out. Helen caught Z’s eye and gave her a thumbs up and mouthed the words “good luck”. The butterflies returned to Z’s stomach. 

The cab arrived right on time and whisked them away to the restaurant. Syd’s eyes widened upon their approach. 

“You managed to get a reservation here? I’ve been trying to get on the list for months!” Syd exclaimed. 

“Only the best for you,” Z murmured, while inwardly she thanked Helen again. 

They paid for and tipped the cab driver, and then headed inside. Z approached the hostess. 

“Hi, there should be a reservation here under the last name Delgado at 6?” Z inquired. 

“Ah yes! Party of 2, right?” The hostess replied. “We have your table ready now. You can both follow me.” 

Z let Syd go in front of her as they both followed the hostess. The restaurant was really nice, but Z wasn’t really seeing it. Her nerves were getting the best of her again, but Syd being there was a comfort. She reached out to squeeze Syd’s hand. Syd squeezed Z’s hand in return. 

“This will be ok.” Z tried to reassure herself. 

They got to their table and took their seats across from each other. The hostess assured them that their waiter, Paul, would be there soon. She set down the menus and bid them a great evening. 

Syd and Z both picked up the menus in front of them. Syd was already deciding between entrees while Z let her eyes slide up and down the page. She wasn’t sure she could actually eat anything. Her stomach was tied up in way too many knots. 

In short order, Paul did arrive to introduce himself. 

“May I start you out with a drink? We also have some specials today!” He began to describe the details of the beef, chicken, fish, and vegetarian specials of the day. Z was hearing the words, but not really grasping them. The only thing she knew for sure was that she might need some liquid courage. 

“Could we just get a bottle of the house red to start?” Z asked. 

“Red! Good choice!” Paul said, writing it down and scampering off to retrieve it. 

“Yeah, great call on that. I was thinking the same thing,” Syd complimented. “Actually, can you watch my purse? I need to go powder my nose.” 

“Of course! I’ll be right here,” Z managed with a smile. Syd headed to the restroom. Seeing Syd’s absence, Paul returned with the wine and began to pour it for both of them. 

“So...are you the one popping the question tonight?” He asked.

“Yeah, how could you tell?” Z replied. 

“Because you’re as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” Paul replied with a smile. “I don’t know you or your girl, but it’s really obvious you both care about each other. I’m sure it’ll all turn out fine.” 

Z smiled at his simile. “Thanks. I’ll try to relax.” 

“Here, I’ll help you out. I’ll bring out the ring with the dessert course. Slip it to me and it’ll be a cool surprise,” Paul offered. 

“Sounds great to me!” Z replied, handing the ring over. Dress or not, she knew she could and would kick Paul’s ass if he tried to steal it. She’d gone through way too much planning for this not to go well. Paul took it, assuring Z he’d be back shortly to take their orders. 

Now fortified with wine and somewhat of a plan for how the proposal itself would go, Z was able to read the menu and actually pick something. Syd returned shortly afterward to do the same. The meal itself went off without a hitch. The food was excellent, the service appropriately attentive without being overbearing, and Syd was always great company. Despite the impending proposal, Z felt herself starting to relax a bit like normal. 

Finally, Paul arrived with the dessert menu. “Here’s the dessert menu, ladies. I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your orders.” He surreptitiously winked at Z before walking away. 

“I’m stuffed. I don’t think I could eat another bite,” Syd sighed with a satisfied smile. 

“Oh no, we should definitely get dessert tonight,” Z suggested, trying to keep her voice even. 

“Really?” Syd asked. 

“Definitely!” Z said in what she hoped was a calm voice. 

“Usually you don’t go for desserts and I have to talk you into it,” Syd said, surprised. 

“Their desserts have great reviews online, and you know how long you’ve been wanting to come here. We can’t not have dessert,” Z replied. 

“Well you’ve twisted my arm. Let’s split tiramisu.” Syd grinned. Z smiled back at her, relieved. Paul returned to take their order, promising to return shortly. 

Z’s nerves, which had been mostly under control, now kicked into high gear. All this planning was about to come to what would hopefully be a happy conclusion, but she still had no idea what she was actually going to say to her when the time came. Nothing she came up with sounded right in her head. She had another sip of her wine, hoping she would be able to control herself until the ring actually arrived. 

Finally, Paul returned with two covered dishes. On the dish he placed in front of Z, he revealed the tiramisu. The dish he placed in front of Syd remained covered as he walked away. Syd uncovered the dish to reveal the ring box. 

“Z, what is this?” Syd asked, trepeditous. 

“Open it!” Z replied. Syd did so and revealed the ring that met all of her expectations. 

“Oh my gosh, I cannot believe you did this!” Syd gasped. 

While everything else that evening had been according to a plan, what Z said next just came directly from her heart. 

“Syd, I love you and I think you’re amazing and I enjoy every day we get to spend together. I’d like to continue spending every day together. Will you marry me?” Z asked, taking Syd’s hand in hers. 

“YES! THIS IS AMAZING! OH MY GOSH!” Syd fairly shrieked before bursting into tears and hugging Z tightly. Z returned the hug and gave her a kiss. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. All the planning had paid off and Syd did indeed say yes. She was a mixture of thrilled and relieved. She pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Syd’s finger. 

Syd kept marveling at the ring. “How did you do this?” she asked. 

“Well I had to get it custom designed for you to meet your specs. You didn’t specify a band, so we kinda guessed,” Z admitted. 

“This is incredibly sweet and thoughtful. It’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” Syd replied, finally beginning to control her tears. 

“And you mean it? You’ll be my wife?” Z asked. 

“I’d choose you a million times over anyone else, Z,” Syd reassured, kissing her gently. 

At that, Paul arrived to drop off the check. They paid and tipped, and called for a cab to get back to the hotel. The whole time Z kept holding Syd’s hand. It’s like she just couldn’t quite believe her luck. When they arrived at the hotel, Helen was there at the front desk. She took one look at the couple and knew that everything had worked out just fine. She gave Z another thumbs up before the couple took the elevator back to their room. 

When they walked in, there was another surprise in store that even Z didn’t expect. Helen and her team had gone all out to put nice congratulatory touches in the room. There were candles and rose petals and a celebratory bottle of champagne and it all looked so nice that Z found herself wondering how awkward it would have been if Syd had turned her down. 

“Ok, I have to ask you something or else it’s gonna bother me.” Syd said, fixing a piercing gaze on Z. 

“Sure, what’s up?” Z replied, concerned. 

“How did you afford to do this?” Syd asked. “I know you don’t make this kind of cash at SPD.” 

“There’s a very simple explanation for that.” Z replied, before explaining how the case she’d resolved had a cash award attached and the ensuing misadventures in planning the night’s events. 

“And you managed not to tell me any of this?” Syd asked, impressed. “I worried you were up to your neck in debt. It was incredibly sweet to do all this for me. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to do all this AND hide it from me.” 

Z looked at Syd in pleased triumph before gently kissing her and pulling her into her arms. And, with that, they spent the next several hours in bed. 

When their coupling was over and Syd was resting her head on Z’s chest, all seemed right with the world. There was nothing more that Z could have asked for at that moment. 

But then, softly, Syd said, “350.” 

Z asked “350 what?” 

“350 guests.” Syd said, matter of factly. 

“Wait, what?” Z asked. “I don’t know 350 people.” 

“Of course you do.” Syd said, looking up into Z’s face. “If we invite every Ranger team from every alternate dimension it would be about 225 people, assuming every team only had 5 Rangers. Then you have to think about the ones who have 6 or more like ours. Plus their techs and mentors. Not to mention that my family will definitely want to be there. So yeah, 350.” 

Z’s head was already swimming. 

“Also, do you want to be a spring bride or a summer bride? I like the idea of getting married in May, but getting married in August could be fun, too. Oh my gosh. What about a destination wedding? Wouldn’t that be fun?” Syd asked, grasping Z’s hand in her excitement. 

“I literally just proposed to you and you’re already planning the wedding?” Z asked, exasperated. 

“Oh, honey, I’ve been planning my wedding since I was 5. I just needed to find my Princess Charming. And now that I’ve found her, I’m going to have a wedding just as amazing as she is,” Syd declared, smiling at Z before kissing her. 

Z returned her kiss. As overwhelmed as she already was by all of the impending planning, she knew that everything would turn out perfectly in the end as long as she ended the day with Syd.


End file.
